Attachment for moving-picture machines.



F. 0. KNOPP. ATTAGHMENTTOR MOVING PICTURE MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED D30, 20, 1911.

Patenfied G0 3.

WZ'TNEE R U. KNOPF. ATTACHMENT FOR MOVING PICTURE MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 20, 1911. Lfllfil 3;,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Oct. 22, 1912.

i. s'r

till

frnn'r error.

'IERANK G. KNOPF, 0F TOLEDO, OHICi.

ATTACHMENT FOB. MOVING-PICTURE MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 20, 1911; Serial No. 667,053.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK C. Know, a-

of Ohio, have invented a hertain new and useful Attachment for liloving-Picture Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, and to-the figures of reference marked thereon, which form 'a part of this specification.

My invention relates to moving picture machines, and particularly to the means employed' for guiding the course of the film through the machine.

It is custonnxry,.in machines of this class to employ a pair of continuously moving feed-rolls and an interposed intermittently rotating feed-roll for the film, the pair of rolls impartinga steadyfceding movement to the film While the other roll in'iparts a jerking or intermittent feeding action to the portion of the film disposed between the pair of rolls, thus necessitating the provision of a loop or loose portion in the film at each side of the intermittently acting roll to prevent a jerking of the portions of the film coaeting with the continuously rotating rolls, and a consequent tearing of the film. In the use of these machines it is'found in practice that the film very frequently slips in engagement with the lower feed-rolhcspecially when a thickened portion of the film, such as would be occasioned by the pasting together of'the ends of a broken portion of the film, moves into engagement therewith, thus taking up the lower loop in the film so that the jet-lo ing action thereof effects either a'breaking 'in two of the film or a tearing outof the perforated edges thereof in mesh with the lower feed roll spurs or teeth. When such. breaking or tearing of the film occurs it is necessary to stop' the machine to repair the film, thereby adding to the damage to the film the annoyance incident to the stopping of the machine in the midst of a pe1i'form anoe.

The object of my invention is the provision in association with a machine of this class of simple and elficiont means which .will' permit. an easy and automatic back turning of the film to replenish the loop therein when the same has been taken up by a slipping action of the film in engagementwith one of the feed-rolls and Will reduce to a minimum, if not entirely eliminate the breaking and tearing of a film as above deand quickly attached to the machines of this class commonly employed, thus materially enhancing the elliciency, practicability and conmlei'cial value of such machines.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and while, in its broader aspect, it is capable of embodimentin uui'nerous forms a preferred embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure 1 ism front elevation of a moving picture machine embodying my invention and with portions broken away. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof with portions removed and broken away. plan view ofthe features comprising 1 nal section of the fecd-r0ll of such feature.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the upper cont inuously rotating feed-roll of the machine, 2 the intermittently moving roll thereof, 3 the shaft on which the lower ooutinutuisly rotating feed-roll of the machine is mounted and which, in the present instance, has the feed-roll i, comprising one of the features of my invention, mounted thereon, and 5 the film. The customary fowl-rolls in unison and at. uniform speeds is indicated at 6, and this train of gears is adapted to impart intermittent rotation to the intermittently rotating feed wheel 2 through the medium of a star-wheel 7 and other suitable gearing, as is well understood in the art. As these features form no part l of the n'csent invention and may be varied as the construction or make of the machine may require they will not be described in detail.

'ihc film is provided throughout its length with series of perforations 8, adjacent each side edge thereof, which coact spurs or teeth 9 on the respective feed-rolls in the manner of a chain and sprocketavheel Patented Got. 22, 1912.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged n'n'ontion, and Fig. i is a central longitude with registering circumferential series of:

scribed, and which is capable of being easily gearing for driving the upper and lower:

to cause a/i-otation of the feed-rolls-to impart positive feeding movements to thfefilm. The

lmlis shownras having its course'under the feed-r0111 andover an idler-roll 10,

which yieldingly-- holds the film in engagement with the roll 1, thence forms .a loop or loose portion 11, after which it passes downward through the picture projecting portion of the machine-under the intermittentlyrotating feed roll 2 with which it is held in engagement by a yielding pressureroll 12. The film after leaving the roll 2 passes over the continuously rotating feedroll 3 being held inengagement therewith by a pressure roll 13, andis. normally pr0 vided intermediate the rolls'2" and 4 Wlth a loop portion 14, which loop isthe one which it'is so important to keep iritact during the 1 running of the film feeding means hereto init it to rotate freely thereon. The part b is the one with which the film coacts and which has the film engaging teeth 9 thereon and the adjacent ends of the two parts a and b are provided with interengaging clutch surfaces to cause the two parts to normally rotate in unison. A coiled compression spring 0 has its opposite ends thrust against the outer end of the roll part b and a'collar d mounted on the shaft therewith, and acts to yieldingly hold the parts a and b in en-v gagement. The interengaging surfaces of the 'roll parts a and b, which are designated at e, are adapted to cause the parts a and b to rotate in unison when the coacting portion ofthe film isexerting very little back pressure thereon, as is the case under normal running conditions when the loop 14 is present in the film, and when such loop is taken out of the film the back pressure which is then communicated to the roll 4 through the film from the intermittent action of the roll 2 causes a back turningof the lower roll part 7) relative to the part a, thus preventing the tearing in two of the film or a tearing of its perforated edges, which would otherwise be the case. It is found in practice that the best results are obtained by making the spring a of sufficient tension to only maintain the parts a and Z) of the roll in driving engagement under normal working conditions so as to permit such parts to relatively turn as soon as any'unduc or abnormal back prcssureis exerted on the part 7) by the film.

In order to automatically restore the loop -14 to the film when it has been taken therefrom by any cause, an idler roll 15 is dis- 'siderable to and a and is carried by a shaft 16 projecting from an arm 17, which is loosely carried by and projects radially from the shaft 3.. A coiled contraction-sprang 18 connects the outer end. of the arm 17 to ,a stationary subjacent art,

as at 19, to yieldin'gly resist a raising o the roll 15 from its normal position. While the jerking movement imparted to the looped portion 14 of the film by the intermittent action of the roll 2causes a vibratory action of the idler roll 15, the spring cin the feed roll 4 is adapted to ermit a back turnin of the part b thereo before a very conraising of the idler roll 15 would be permitted by the spring 18. It is preferable to use the idler-roll 15 in connection with my improved feed roll 4, but such feed roll may be used alone if des red.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction or arrangement of the parts except in so far as such limitations are specified. in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,-

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination with an intermittently moving film-feeding roll, of a continuously driven feed-roll having its film eoacting part adapted to back turn when undue pressure is exerted thereon by the film.

2. In a machine of the class described, a film-feeding roll. having a continuously ro tating part and a part with which a film coacts adapted to back turn relative to said continuously rotating part when undue back pressure is exerted on the roll by the film..

3. In a machine of the class described, a continuously rotating shaft, a film-feeding roll mounted on said shaft and having a plurality of parts, one of which is fixed to the shaft While the other has yielding clutch engagement .with the fixed part to permit a back turning thereof when an undue back pressure is exerted thereon by a film.

4. In a machine of the class described, a driven shaft, a film-feeding roll mounted on said shaft and having a part fixed thereart mounted for free rotation thereon, said roll parts having interengag1 ing surfaces which permit a back turning of the loose part to effect a yielding engagement of the engagin surfaces of such parts. 5. In a machine oi the class described, the combination of a continuously driven feedroll having a film coacting part which is adapted to back turn when undue back pressure is exerted thereon by a film, and an idler-roll adapted to yieldingly act on a film to form a loop therein prior to its coaction with the feed-roll.

6. In a machine of the class described, an intermittently rotating feed-roll, a con- 1,042,e13 we:

tinuousiy reteting feed-r011, said eonthm' In testimony whereof, I have hereunto ously fotating'feed roll having a film coa-ctv signed my name to this specificatlon 1n the ing partadapbed 'to back turn when undue presence of two subscribing wltnesses.

pressure is exerted thereon by a film, and we FRANK C. KNOPI an ldlel -roll adepted t yie'ldingly act on a Witnesses: film and to normally retain a loop therein 0. W. OWEN,

in'iermediate said feed-folls. E. E. THOMAS. 

